Human beings exhibit some characteristic behavior patterns when
interacting in groups. Therefore, understanding group behaviour plays a vital role in order to establish a harmonious
society. The group helps a person in the satisfaction of his fundamental needs and
in achieving a sense of accomplishment. In modern organizations, groups are employed
as major instruments for operations, particularly for problem-
solving and improving performance.

Meaning of a Group:-

It has been commonly observed and also established through various
experimental studies that there are differences in the behaviour of an individual
when they are alone and when they are together in a group. As a member of a group,
he exhibits group behaviour. When two or more people come together it is known as
a Group. A group is one in which people come together to attain a common goal &
the relations among the members are interdependent i.e. each member‘s behavior influences
the behaviour of the others in the group.

According to Mill, 'A unit composed of two or more persons who
come together to achieve a specific purpose & consider a contact meaningful
is a Group.‘

Bass approached the definition of a group in the angle of motivation
& satisfaction of needs.

Bogurdas defines a group as, ''A collection of two or more persons
with common interests, stimulating each other having common loyalty & participating
in common activities.''

Characteristics of a Group:

A typical group must have
the following essential characteristics in order to be called a group in the psychological
sense.

1.Leadership:
- According to Carter, a leader is a person who is able to lead the group towards
the attainment of the goal. The teacher helps the students in the attainment of
the goals. In that sense, the teacher is the leader of the classroom group.

2.Interdependency/
Common Interest: - The members of a group have common and well defined goals,
interest and ideals. Every member tries to attain the goals set down by the society

e.g. members of Rotary Club have a common aim of social work
for the benefit of underprivileged. The behavior of one member of a group influences
that of the other and in this way his own behavior is influenced. This type of relationship
is also known as psychological relationship.

3.Cohesiveness
(Oneness): - There is a sense of oneness in the group because of the similarity
in interest. A member looks upon others as related to him. In this way, good feelings,
devotion, faithfulness, adjustment, suggestion & imitation are developed amongst
the members.

4.Conformity
(Comply by the rules set within the group): - The members of the group have
to adhere to the rules set by the group. The actions of members are controlled by
the group.

All the members of the group follow the ideals & traditions
of the group.

5.Organized
structure: - Any group has an organized structure which is well defined .e.g.
The class is an organized structure which is homogeneous with respect to age, subject,
etc.

6.Motivation/
Mutual Obligation: - The degree of motivation or the motivational level that
exists among the members of the group should be the same. It is such a power as
keeps not only the members of the group united but also provides them with energy
e.g. the relationship between the children & parents in the family or the love
of husband & wife. In spite of differences, they have certain common aims, ideals
& values. We-feeling is developed leading to the development of affinity in
the group. Social values are also developed.

TYPES OF GROUPS

There are different types of groups and they are ;

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GROUPS :-

IN-GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS
:-

The members have common goal, common interest and a sense of we feeling. The members
of in-groups treat others as outsiders. In groups may be either primary or secondary
e.g., Family is an example of primary in-group. The nation towards which we feel
love is an example of secondary in-group. The groups which are not in- groups
are out-groups.

Partially Inclusive Group : Involves partial interests of Individuals e.g., College Community

Totally Inclusive Group: All interests of the member are Involved e.g., Village Community

OPEN AND CLOSED GROUPS :- Open groups are those groups
in which everybody can become a member whereas closed groups are secret societies
where membership is not open to all.

CROWD AS A GROUP :- Crowd is a collection of people formed
on the spur of moment. It has no permanent goals but only transitory aim. It is
governed by emotions. Behaviour of the people is not normal in the crowd. They follow
impulse of the moment. They think less and accept readymade conclusions.

CLUB AS GROUP :- A club is a collection of people who
meet in a planned manner not like crowd. The goals of the club are clearly defined.
The club has a common interest, ideal or goal e.g., Science Club.

COMMUNITY AS GROUP :- Community is more permanent than
crowd or club. Individuals behaviour is controlled and regulated by the community.
A community has its culture, art, literature and common social, political and economic
bonds. Members of the community are emotionally attached, take keen interest in
the activities of the community and obey its norms and traditions.

GROUP DYNAMICS

Meaning of Group Dynamics:

It is a relatively new concept in the socio – psychological field.
Etymologically, the word, Dynamic, is derived from a Greek word, which means 'force‘.
Thus, Group Dynamics stands for the forces operating in a group. A group is constantly
interacting, thereby bringing about a perpetual change in the personality and behaviour
of the members constituting the group. The behaviour is not static. Group Dynamics
means the change of behaviour through interaction in the group. It refers to the
forces which operate in group situations. It studies the structure of the group and other
phenomenon which emerge out of group interaction.

According to the Good‘s dictionary – ''Group Dynamics implies
an interactive psychological relationship in which members of a group develop a
common perception based on feelings and emotions. These inter-stimulative relationships
may be described by the term Group Dynamics."

Kretch & Crutch - Group Dynamics implies changes that take
place within groups.

Thus group dynamics is the study of forces exerted by the group
on the individual or the individual on the group.

Process of Group Dynamics: -

Argyle (1969) categorized 4 stages in the 'life' of a group

forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Heron (1989) identified a fifth stage Mourning / Adjourning

1.Forming
- This is when a group first gets together. People tend to find out about each
other, consider purposes, brainstorm ideas
and possible structures for tasks and consider their own roles within the group.
This is usually a very sociable time in the life of the group.

2.Storming
- As the group begins to settle in and individuals get to know each other, they
may start competing for status and role in the group. Disagreements occur and where
some members may try to assert strong opinions or leadership tactics, others may
withdraw. If tensions are not mutually dealt with at this stage, they tend to disrupt
group communication and activity, and most importantly, mutual respect for the roles
of members. To reach stages (c) and (d) conflicts need to be resolved.

3.Norming
- After the more tense stage of storming, the group usually begins to settle
as members have found a common approach to the task that all agree upon or accept
(this is where unsettled conflicts can be problematic as they will probably reoccur
later). Action plans begin to emerge and people find space to begin working on tasks.

4.Performing
- This is the stage when the group achieves optimum efficiency and work
gets done. At
this stage it
is important to know the team work strategies you are working with
(Sharples, 1999: 71) that will best utilize the expertise of each member. It is
also useful to be aware of time spent on each task through a log or diary, so that
possible conflicts do not reoccur.

5.Mourning
/ Adjourning - Having satisfactorily got through the group tasks, if the group
has been successful in working together, despite initial tensions and conflicts,
we often see members sad to leave each other. This is where mutual respect and achievement
is felt most significantly. Often sub-groups
form from the larger groups to continue with personal or professional development
interests.

Importance of developing Group Dynamics in Learning:

•To improve the behavior of students - In a
class room group, the students come into contact with each other and acquire appropriate
type of education.

•To develop mental processes - Some sort of
exchange of thoughts goes on in the class group through which intellectual activities
like reasoning, memory, judgments, decisions, thinking and imagination develop.

•To develop the feeling of self sacrifice - The
students in a class room group remain in close contact with each other. Therefore
so much love, good will and sympathy develops in them that in the time of need they
do not hesitate to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others.

•To prepare for future social life - Children
in class room group live together for pretty long time and try to adjust their thoughts,
habits and view points to others. Such a type of experience prepares them for future
social life.

•To excite sympathy of numbers - A student
starts doing as other students do. This tendency is called sympathy of numbers.

•To develop qualities of leadership - Students
in classroom groups plan or organize a number of co-curricular activities. Thus
qualities of leadership are developed in them.

•To acquire more knowledge - In a classroom
group the students learn the habits of competition and imitation and get an inspiration
to acquire more knowledge.

•To develop the feeling of co-operation - The
teacher encourages all the members
of a classroom
group to work together and thus feeling
of cooperation is developed in them.

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